Path of Truth: The First
by Antgirl1
Summary: Wherein imagination runs wild, Jordan Michaels creates his imaginary friend, Wilt, in his sleep. Meet Dandy Smandy, Stats, Foul Larry, Troy, and a heck of a lot of other people in the life in Charleston, SC. Discontinued.
1. Regret

"I challenge you to a basketball game!"  
"I, Jordan Michaels, will finally defeat you in a game of basketball today!"

"Loser loses the court for a week!"

Each and every time Jordan would challenge his older brother, Troy, to a game of basketball, he would've always worked more on the fighting stance and confendence, rather than his skills. Sure, he practiced, but just not as much as he should've.

Thus, each and every time he lost. WHY? Why was it so hard to win against him? WHY? WHY WHY WHY?

He practiced as much as Troy. He did his best to use the same tips as Troy.

But he could never get it right. Not once could he get past three baskets before Troy claimed victor.

And now, because of the bet he had made against Troy, he lost the court for a week. If only he would've opened his eyes and didn't bet the court and didn't act so high and mighty...

Heck, he probably still would've lost, but he wouldn't have lost the COURT...

It was a lonely walk home from the court as Jordan clearly remembered what went on. How he acted so cool and Mr. High and Mighty, how Troy laughed every time Jordan missed the basket (sometimes by a long shot), and how Troy sneered at him as Jordan left, defeated, "Hey Squirt, next time, DON'T BET ON THE COURT, CUZ YOU'LL NEVER WIN IT!"

He sighed as he kicked a rock out of his foot's path, continuing to walk down the street, passing by that new family's house that, rumors be told, lived some insane girl.

_Glad I'll never meet HER..._

* * *

"Hey Mom, I'm home-"

"Oh good! You're just in time to meet our guest!"

"Guest...?"

"Yes! It's the daughter of the family that just moved in yesterday; her parents were so busy unpacking everything, that they suggested that she should come visit her new neighbors. You should come meet her! She's your age, too!"

As soon as Jordan heard the words "Daughter of the family that just moved in", he froze in his tracks.

_So much for NOT meeting her..._

But slowly, he did as his mother asked and crept slowly to the living room, and was immediately greeted with

"HIIIIIIIIIIII, JORDAN!"

He barely had any time to regain his senses as the girl began talking nonsense for five straight minutes, latching herself onto him, going

"HiyoumustbeJordanyourmomtoldmeallaboutyouandyourolderbrother, Troywasn'tit? Yeah, itwas, itwas! SoanywaysIwantedtosayHItoeveryoneintown'cuzI'mnewhereandsoaremyfamilyandtheysaidIshouldgomeeteveryonesoIwasallOKEE-DOKEE! Ialreadyknowyourname, yourmom'sname, andyourbrother'sname, soImustintroducemyselfsoIwon'tberude! Myname'sDandySmandybuteveryonewhoknowsmejustcallsmeDandy!"

For one thing, her skin and hair was nearly, if not completely, the same as Jordan's. Well, she had no afro, but instead, her hair were put into pigtailed held in by rainbow rubber bands. Even as pigtails, the remaining hair in the pigtails were put into four braids, the rubber bands being lord knows how many colors. Next, her clothes didn't match. At ALL. Her tee-shirt was green with a strawberry on the left part of the chest, her skirt was blue with pink flowers which reached to her knees, her socks were black with purple spots that glittered, and what was on her feet? Orange sandals with a sunflower on them.

So anyways, after having to listen to all this, she started going on and on about how his afro must be some kind of fluffy pillow, while Jordan just stayed silent for a bit and started to tune her out. But then,

"Hey! Don't touch the 'do!"

So...THIS was the insane girl.

Right...

* * *

After what seemed like forever "Dandy Smandy", or whatever her name was, finally left for either home for another unsuspecting neighbor. In reality, it was only 2 hours. During this time, Troy had somehow snuck into the house, laughed at how much Jordan was suffering from the talk-a-holic girl, and scurried off upstairs to his room without any announcement that he was home. Nowadays this was quite common in the Michaels home.

Jordan went off upstairs to his own room and collasped onto his top bunk (Jordan and Troy used to share the same room, until Troy protested for his own room), face staring at the ceiling. He just wanted to go to bed right now, he didn't care if he didn't eat supper, it's just that he felt for tired he wanted the day to end. What a day, you would say right then and there. Not pacticularily a good day, but a day it was.

Sad thing is, no one was around to say it.

But tomarrow and the next 6 days after that, Jordan figured, would be just as bad, if not worse, than today. Because of that stupid bet.

STUPID BET.

Stupid, stupid, STUPID.

Not only that, but who knows how many times he'll end up seeing and have the displeasure of having to hear that girl speak ninty miles per hour. About stuff he wouldn't comprend even if he were some sort of advanced alien species.

It would take a true genius to be able to decode it.

* * *

Despite what Jordan had thought, the next 6 days weren't that bad. Sure, no practice for those days, but still, some good came out of it.

For example, turns out that Dandy wasn't really that bad at all, at least, after you get past her mad-speech. She had an eye for creativity, and another for Badmittin, and maybe even basketball too. Everyday she would stroll around the block, passing by the fence of the basketball court, but rarely did she actually go in, especially on days where Troy and his friend were around. Jordan would assure her that Troy's just pretty much mean to everyone who wasn't his friend.

Which meant that except for that one other person, Troy's mean to everyone.

After the bet was over and done with, Jordan ran with might to the court as soon as he had the chance, ball in his small hands.

Then he practiced.


	2. Scorekeeper

Dandy did her daily stroll around the block, and when she passed the basketball court, Jordan noticed something.

For one, instead of her unusual garb, she wore pink tee-shirt with yellow overalls. White socks, but her usual sandels.

In one hand was a juice container, but the other...

...Was being held by a walking scoreboard's.

After assuring her it was alright to come in, she joined Jordan in the court, with her scoreboard friend. As Jordan practiced, she watched him, sipping her juice, not once laughing or wavering as Jordan kept missing the basket.

* * *

"Maybe you could...y'know...have your right hand's palm facing you when you shoot?" she suggested after a while of practicing, where now they were all sitting together underneath the hoop, watching the sun set.

"Maybe try to jump higher...?" the scoreboard piped in.

"Yeah, sure." Jordan answered glumly. "I'll keep those in mind for next time."

Silence ensued.

"...Say, how'd you get that scoreboard?"

"Oh, Statistics?" Dandy replied, pointing her thumb at the friend, who smiled at his name being called. "I imagined him."

"Imagined? Like how?"

"Actually, it was all by accident," Dandy laughed, "Iwasrandomlythinkingabouthowmucheasieritwould'vebeentokeepscorewithascoreboard, whenallofasudden, heappearedoutofnowhere! Iwaslike, 'Where'd you come from, lil guy?' butthenturnsoutIdidn'tneedtoaskinthefirstplace, becauseIrealizedIhadimaginedhimfrom THAT. VERY. THOUGHT!"

"Can he actually do that?"

"Dowhat?"

"Keep score..."

"Um...I-I think so..." Statistics replied. "I never really did it before, but I think I'll find out soon enough..."

"Yeah, TOTALLY! Stats here would be the BEST score-keeper anywhere!" Dandy whooped, while Statistics (or just Stats) looked down at the concrete modestly.

"Aww, shucks, guys..."

"Come on, Stats, you KNOW as well as we do that you'd do GREAT!"

"Yeah, besides, you WERE imagined for it, right?"

"I guess so...eh-heh...But I'm still not sure how-"

"I'm sure it'll just come to you, it usually does!"

"Really?"

"Sure! Because where I used to live, there were TONS of imaginary friends!" Dandy started to explain excitedly. "Of all sizes and shapes, some short, some tall, some violet and some green, and some I can't really recall, but anyway, they had many different purposes! Most of them, at first, had no clue either what their purpose was or how to do it, but sooner or later, they blossomed into beautiful, smart imaginaries friends with a whooooole life ahead of them!"

"Wow, never thought of it that way." Jordan nearly mused.

"I bet their creators were very happy." Stats agreed.

"They were..."

"WERE?"

"Yeah. I mean, kids and imaginaries don't always stay together until the end of time, y'know. One day, something happens that will end their cherished childhood friendship, possibly forever. The kid grows up, the kid dies, the imaginary fails the purpose and leaves, kid m-m-moves a-a-awa-a-ay..."

"...And?"

Dandy didn't respond right away. "There's lots of ways a kid and imaginary lose each other...but nobody ever knows when..."

There was another long silence as they watched the sun as it continued to set.

"Hey, maybe if you had a partner or something, maybe you could get better at basketball!" Dandy suddenly piped in.

"A partner? How would I be able to find one? My brother is of no help, because he's a jerk! I don't know anyone else who's great at basketball, unless you are, of course."

"No, not really...I'm more into Badmittin, remember?"

"Oh, yeah..."

"Well, if you can't FIND a partner, you could always MAKE one." Dandy said, as she and Stats started to stand, starting to head home.

"MAKE one?" Jordan asked, completely confused and not getting Dandy's hint. "I'm not Frankenstein, you know that, right?"

Dandy laughed, and pointed at Stats as she replied, continuing her and Stats' walk, "Y'know...MAKE one? Huh? Huh? MAKE one? Up?" MAKE one UP?"

Jordan still stared dumbfounded, raising an eyebrow. He scratched his head. "Umm..."

"D'aww! You'll get the idea! EYE-DEE-YAAAH! EYE-DEE-YAAH! Get it? I-D-E-A? EYE-DEE-YAH? Make one UP? IDEA? Ah, well. You'll get the hint!" she giggled, winking in a friendly fashion, taking Stat's hand into hers and leaving the court. "By the way, getting dark, you should get on home before your mom gets after you! BYE-BYE, JORDAN!"

"See ya!" Stats called, waving.

It took him a few seconds to realize that she was right. It WAS getting dark out. He had to hurry home.

* * *

Jordan was laying on his bunk, staring at the ceiling, wondering. What DID Dandy mean by "Make one up" and "Idea"? He then realized that when Dandy said "Make one up" and "Idea", she had pointed to Stats.

Stats...

Stats was an imaginary friend...

D'oh, what did Stats have anything to do with "Make one up" and-

Then it hit him like a ton of bricks.

_IMAGINE_ _a partner!_

Realizing this, he widened his eyes, sitting up, searching for some pieces of paper and his crayons. Then he got to work, drawing and drawing and drawing for what seemed like forever. A lot of the paper, in time, turned into a pile of wadded up pieces as failed attempts and something he didn't want.

Even when he was sent to bed, he secretly stayed up late to keep trying.

_Let's see...should he be...No, not yellow! Blegh! He should be RED...Hmm, no, no no NO! That's not it at all!...Maybe his hands could have sticky things or something on the tips of his fingers, YEAH! So he could have a better grip on the ball!...A REAL basketball player should be TALL, like twenty feet! No, ten feet!...Should his eyes be ON his head, or on stalks? Head, stalks, head, stalks, head, stalks, head, stalks, head, stalks, STALKS!!...He looks better with these things on his head..._

And after for what also seemed like forever, he finally finished his drawing. By this time, Jordan was honestly very tuckered out, and just managed to put down his things before he collasped on the bed, sleeping like a rock.

But he forgot to name the creature on the drawing.

During the night, Jordan mumbled words in his sleep.

"Imagine a partner...no, he should be red...eyes on stalks...fingertips have sticky things...Ten feet tall...legs VERY long, body small...large feet...those things on his head...the perfect partner any ball player could want...but Daaaaaaaaad, we promised..."

Deep inside Jordan's mind, something - no, someONE - was developing, forming, growing.


	3. Nameless

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead!"

Jordan suddenly clamped his eyes open, hearing an unfamiliar voice, but it was obviously masculine. He suddenly groaned, remembering how long he stayed up late, trying to close the eyes again, when someone suddenly seemed to rip the blinds up, large amounts of sunlight rays beaming into the room in a flash. Jordan let out a frustraded grunt, tightening the closedness of his eyes, pulling the bed covers over his head. But then, he felt someone pull them right off, not pacticularily forcibly, but good enough.

"AUUGH!!"

"I'm sorry, but you can't just sleep all day! Gosh, you're gonna sleep right through Breakfast at this rate!"

"But I don't waaaannnnaaaa..." Jordan rebutted with a whine. "You have no idea how late I stayed up to draw a picture of my imaginary partner..."

"Imaginary partner? Who? And if I may ask, what for?"

"I...I donno! I don't think I got a chance to name him!" Jordan answered, a bit more clearer this time. "And he's going to help me be a better basketball player!"

"What does he look like?"

Jordan groaned again to himself, sitting up with blurry, baggy eyes. "He's on the picture..."

As Jordan cleared his eyes, whoever it was who was in his room with him seemed to pick something up.

"Well, I must say he's got a good smile!"

"Why do you say that?" Jordan replied, finally trying to see what was going on.

"His teeth are nice and white!" the person replied. "Plus, there's a TINY simmilarity between me and him."

"...And?"

"We're both the same color!"

"W-what?" Jordan asked, finally able to see. He looked down at the bottom of the bunk, and he gasped at what he saw.

On the bottom bunk sat a tall, red imaginary friend. In his left hand held a picture of what appeared to be of himself, but the friend couldn't tell as of yet. Hearing Jordan's gasp made the friend turn his head towards him, then giving him a friendly smile. But somehow, seeing this friend wasn't too surprising, for he looked just like the drawing, - no, BETTER than the drawing could ever had been - and saw this creature, his face, his smile, everything, in his dreams from last night.

"You...you...your...the..."

The friend frowned a little with confusion. "I'm...what?"

"Your...the...your...your the..."

He continued to show a look of pure confusion.

"Y-y-your...YOUR THE ONE IN THE DRAWING!" Jordan loudly blurted out.

The friend showed a brief look of surprise and gazed back to the drawing in his hand. "So you're saying that I'm...I'M, of all people, THE friend in this picture? ME?"

"I know! I know!" Jordan whimpered guiltily. "I KNEW I should've never given you large feet! I KNEW I had more revisions to go through! I was just falling asleep and I couldn't stay awake so the drawing started getting bad and cruddy and-"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not saying that I don't _like_ my appearance!" the tall being replied gently. "It's just that I'm surprised that I'M the friend you were talking about, is all..."

"But..."

"Besides, I don't think I could really not _like_ my appearance anyways; I was created this way, so it kinda grows on you after a few minutes. Eh-heh-heh..."

Silence ensued as the friend and the boy stared at each other for a few more moments, each other willing for the other to start a conversation once more. When Jordan wouldn't, the friend had no choice but to do it himself.

"...So, um...anyways...er...May I ask something?"

"Anything."

The red being didn't respond right away. But when he finally did, it was a bit hesitant. "...Do I have a name?"

Jordan frowned and turned away from the friend, raising back up to properly sit up on his bunk again.

"Oh...! I'm sorry! I knew I shouldn't have asked...I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to..."

Only after a few minutes did Jordan decide to climb down the ladder down onto the lower bunk, sitting next to the friend.

"To tell you the truth..." Jordan started. "I...I didn't think of one. I was dead-asleep by the time I was done drawin' you. Had no time left to write a name. Even if there was, I probably couldn't think of one anyway, as bad as I am at naming...so...You don't...at least, not now...But I promise, I'll think of one. One that fits you. One that isn't dumb."

"Really? You'd do that...f-for me?"

"Of course! You're my imaginary friend, you deserve a great name!"

"O...Okay then. Thank you...Just let me know when you find it out for me, promise?"

"Promise."

"So...since we both don't know my name, what's yours?"

"Jordan."

"Hmm...Jordan...I like it!"

* * *

"Remember, you CAN'T be seen by Mom."

"I'm sorry, but why not? She sounds nice to me..."

"If she sees you, you might get kicked out!"

The red friend's eyes widened as he bit his lip nervously. "O-oh...o-okay t-t-then...I'll do my best."

"You should. Because if she sees you, you're most likely gonna be outta here! I don't want that to happen to you..."

"Okay...Okay..."

Jordan slowly opened his bedroom door, peeking around the hallway, seeing it empty. "Okay, the coast is clear,"

The tall being looked confused for a moment.

"It means it's safe."

"Oh, okay. Sorry." he said again, slowly stepping out the room, ducking underneath the doorframe. "Where now?"

"I'll check downstairs. Stay up here. If you have to, hide. I'll be right back."

"Okay then. I'll wait for you!" He replied proudly, doing an army salute with a smile.

Pretty soon Jordan climbed back up the steps, saying, "Okay, everything's fine, there's a way out-" But stopped when he realized that his imaginary companion was nowhere to be found.

Now where did he...?

He suddenly heard the toilet from the bathroom flushing, water from the sink running for a brief time, and the door of the bathroom opened just a tiny bit, to reveal a pair of eyes on stalks peeking out. Once seeing everything's clear, the friend opened the door all the way, ducking underneath the doorframe, and releasing a sigh of pure relief. He spotted Jordan, and immediately felt guilty as heck all over again.

"Oh, gosh...I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to dissappear like that! I'm sorry...I just...I needed to...I'm sorry..."

"Well, as long as you weren't seen, it's alright."

_Jeez, does he HAVE to say he's sorry every five seconds?_


	4. Acquaintance

The tall imaginary had found himself in Jordan's room once again, for only a few moments before he caught his mother coming 'round the staircase, releasing a "Gobackgobackgoback!" from Jordan. So the friend did the only thing he could think of: retreat to the safety of the bedroom. There he stayed.

It felt like forever for him, being hidden in a bedroom, but not to mention possibly trapped as well...Waiting as patiently as possible for a signal, or sign, to tell him that it's safe to come out.

But not soon enough would it happen.

Pretty soon, he began to grow more and more bored, and possibly a bit claustrophobic, of being in the room. He had rested his head against the door listening in to what anyone there was saying. Most of it was stuff he personally couldn't make out, or didn't really take note of. He had paced around the room in a circle until he got dizzy from that and sat on the bottom bunk of the bed, still waiting, silently. After a few minutes his eyes gazed over to the drawing still laying undisturbed on the floor. He picked it up slowly, to take another study of the drawing. He knew it was supposed to be of himself, but still...doesn't hurt to look.

In the bathroom he had taken a good, long look at himself in the mirror, comparing mentally with the drawing, or what he could recall seeing in the drawing. He noted that he looked VERY different compared to the drawing...

Just as he put the image back down, he heard the door opening to reveal someone.

Troy.

It only took a moment of them locking eyes for Troy to run off, yelling "MOM! THERE'S A_** WEIRD RED ALIEN**_ IN JORDAN'S BEDROOM!"

The imaginary got the situation as fast as a (What do ya call 'em, "Supah Compootah"s?) lightening blast and began to panic.

_Oh no, oh no! NOT on my first day! PLEASE!_

* * *

"MOOOOOOM!!" Troy continued to yell, dashing down the stairs and straight into the dining room, wherein Jordan and his mother were eating Breakfast.

"Troy, please, not so loud," she answered gently, "Now...what is it?"

"I went into Jordan's room and-"

"YOU _**WENT**_ INTO MY ROOM?" Jordan blurted out suddenly, blood boiling in his veins. "WHY YOU-"

"Jordan, hush!" she scolded Jordan, "You were saying?"

"-And...and I saw...some kind of...FREAKISH RED ALIEN!" Troy nearly screamed at the last words. At this, Jordan nearly choked on his cereal, slowly beginning to panic but soon collecting his mind and replied,

"You're crazy. There's no such thing as aliens."

"You KNOW something about it, don't you?"

"HEY! He's a he; not an 'it'!"

"So you DO know!"

"No I don't!"

While Jordan and Troy enveloped into an argument, their mother quickly and silently vanished out of the room, and up the steps. Pretty soon they noticed she was gone.

"And if it weren't for you-...Where'd Mom go?"

"She's probably gonna go kill the alien." Troy explained matter-of-factly, "OH! That's something I wanna see! That AND the color of it's guts!" With that, he too took off out of the kitchen and up the stairs.

"Nooo!!" Jordan cried, chasing after him and Mom, not bothering to correct Troy's "it" remark.

* * *

"Ohmanohmanohmanohmanohmanohmanohmanohman..." He continued to say in a paniced tone. "It's only a matter of time before someone comes in to throw me out to the curb...What's a curb?"

He heard the door starting to open, in a surprisingly hesitant matter. The friend had to think, and FAST.

"Wheretohidewheretohidewheretohidewheretohide...THERE!" With that, he held a mighty leap to the closet door, letting himself in and closing it behind him, and starting to go silent.

The door did open to reveal Mom, who closed the door behind her, locking it.

_Something _I_ should've done..._

She began to look around the room, seeing nothing unusual in the slightest. The only thing new about the room was its small mess and a piece of drawing paper on the floor. She came up to it, picking it up, asking herself,

"What the...?"

From outside, she and the red imaginary heard the door being tried to open up, but all in failure. "Aww, come on, Mom! I wanna see you kill the alien!" Troy whined from outside.

"...KILL?" the red imaginary whispered. "Oh no...PLEASE no..."

"Don't kill him, Mom! PLEASE! I can explain everything! Just don't hurt him..."

"So you DID know something!"

"NO I DON'T!"

"Then why are you telling her not to kill it? Is the alien your PET?"

"SHUT UP!"

"Boys, boys..." she softly called. "There's no alien in this room. He was probably never there at all. You were seeing things, Troy."

"But Jordan is willing to explain the alien!" Troy replied. "So it really IS in there! I'll show you where it is!"

"HE'S A _**HE**_! NOT AN IT!"

"See? He knows all about the alien!"

"CAN IT!"

Mom started towards the closet, saying "I'm telling you guys, there is NO alien in this room, or in this house, for that ma...ter...?" As soon as she opened the door, she silenced herself at the sight of a certain tall red imaginary.

"...Er...Hi?"

"OKAY YOU GUYS WERE RIGHT!" She screamed as she backed away. "THERE _**IS**_ AN ALIEN IN YOUR ROOM, JORDAN! JUST WHERE THE HELL DID IT COME FROM?"

Now finding it rather pointless to hide again as he was now exposed, the red friend decided to step out of the closet, feeling a bit relieved to not be so cramped up in there anymore. "Erm...I know this looks bad, but trust me, I'm NOT an alien...Right Jordan?"

"Uh...right, I guess." Jordan answered.

"See? Heh-heh..."

"Okay, fine, so you're NOT an alien...but just answer me ONE question..." Mom replied to the friend.

"Yes?"

"What ARE you?"

"Well, m'am, I'm an imaginary friend." He replied, grinning with a hint of pride to his face, stepping down onto his knee and gently taking her hand into his, giving a little shake. "Sorry, but I don't have a name yet, but it's a pleasure to meet you...sorry, I never caught your name."

"Charlotte..." Was all she could utter.

"Charmed." he responded, his grin growing wider.


	5. Fortunate

"-So THEN what happened?"

"She screamed at us both from inside the room for like, 5 minutes about how he really WAS in the room," Jordan replied. "She seemed to calm down pretty soon, though..."

"And THEN what happened?" Dandy giggled again, so estatic about the events that went on in the Michaels home that morning.

"She told me, 'Jordan! Don't you think it'd be wise to NAME your friend?'" Jordan started again, making a bad imitation of his mother in the process, "And I was sayin' 'But Ma, I couldn't come up with anything! I was dead-asleep by the time I was FINISHED drawing him!' And then she nearly went off and said-"

"'So just HOW long did you stay up?'" The tall friend and his pal said at the same time. Stats and Dandy just bursted out laughing.

"What, so you stayed up past 12, right?" Stats tried to say as he laughed.

"Oooooh, Jordan got into sooooooome trouble!" Dandy replied, clutching her side as it started to ache from the laughter.

"Yeah, I had to tell her, and she started lecturing me about how its unhealthy for little boys like me - that I was offended about, just so you know - to stay up that late, but I really wasn't payin' much attention, cuz I was watchin' him meeting my cat, Toppy, and I wondered who was more in fear, Ma or Toppy!-"

"-And then she ended up showing me how good of a biter she was..." the red being replied with little enthusiasm, rubbing his sore fingers. "Ow."

"Yeah, yeah! Her fur was like, standing on end, making her look really poofy and stuff, especially her tail, oh man oh man! You shoulda seen it!"

"I'll bet!" Dandy replied, chuckling. "If there was a contest for 'Most Strongest Bite', I'm sure Toppy would've won it, no sweat!"

"Yeah, I guess so..."

"Aw, come on!" Jordan started, "Don't be that way. I'm SURE when Toppy gets the idea of you living in my house, she'll get over the shock. She has this thing where it takes time for her to start trusting anyone."

"Besides, who can blame her? I wouldn't exacty be thrilled to see a ten foot giant try to pet me if I were the size of a kitty!" Dandy replied, wiping a tear away and starting to cease her laughter along with Stats'.

"So then, anyway, we both stared as a loud "Re-ooww!" filled the room, to see Toppy suddenly flyin' through the air!" Jordan continued, almost ready to burst out laughing, "And she landed right on Troy's face! It was hilarious! Of course Toppy was fine, clinging to Troy's big fat head for dear life, but Troy got pretty mad..."

(Jordan here is merely exaggerating Troy here. Troy is not fat, but Jordan just teases that way)

"Oh, for suuuuure!" Stats replied.

"Yeah, so we ran all the way here...er, well, I was CARRIED here, but that's not the point." Jordan continued. "The point is-"

"-That you're DEAD, Squirt!"

Hearing that voice immediately shut up everyone else, especially Jordan, who nervously glanced at he who said it.

Well duh, it was Troy, who was covered by face, in cat claw marks.

"You, AND your freak alien-"

"He's not an alien! I thought we covered that!"

"WHATEVER!" Troy sneered, turning his hands into fists. "I don't care if it's a dog, alien, or imaginary, or WHATEVER, the point is-"

"You're covered in claw marks?" Dandy suggested.

"I am an imaginary friend?" the red being asked, a tad quietly.

"That I can't come up with a name for him?" Jordan blurted.

"I can count to ninety-nine?" Stats asked.

"No!" Troy yelled. "None of that. The REAL point is Squirt and his pet freak are gonna PAY!"

With that, Dandy and Stats scrambled out of the way as Troy nearly barreled through them, starting for Jordan first.

"Run! Run!" Dandy cried out. "Don't just stand there, do something!"

But the tall being would not let Troy hurt him. Ever.

In an instant Jordan was lifted off the ground by his imaginary companion's hands, placed onto his teardrop-shaped front to rest upon, and seemed to suddenly be moving without warning in light speed.

Jordan looked over his friend's shoulder to see Troy struggling in the grasps of both Stats and Dandy, trying to hold him off, allowing an easy escape from the court, and where ever else they could go.

For the second time that day, Jordan felt good to have imagined his friend. His imaginary friend.

His. Forever.

* * *

Thinking about it, his friend reminded of Jordan so much of his father, the way he talked, the fact he liked the same foods, the same things, as his father, as well as being massively protective, no matter what the case may be. Also that constant amount of "sorry"s he seems to say, likewise his father had also constantly said if he thought he did something wrong...Sometimes said out of habit, other times...he meant it with all his heart.

For some other reason, his friend also reminded him of his personal idol, AND tallest ball player in history, Wilt Chamberlain. Jordan decided this as soon as he heard of him, even if he never got to see him play, (as he was retired from basketball), he had read up on his legends, his biographies, the works. Even though the guy never liked this nickname, which was "Wilt the Stilt", mostly because of his height, it stuck with Jordan always.

"Wilt the Stilt"...

Suddenly a bright idea flashed into Jordan's mind, causing a large smile to bloom on his face.

_His name will be Wilt! In honor of Wilt Chamberlain!_

* * *

"So..." Wilt started to ask at bedtime.

"What?" Jordan replied, climbing up to his top bunk, in his lime green PJs, then covering himself up. "Do you not like your name?"

"No, no, it's not about that," Wilt replied. "The name you gave me is just fine, honest!"

"Are you sure? 'Cuz if you don't like the name 'Wilt' I could try to give ya a different one..."

"Look, it's OKAY! I already love my name, it's simple, but suiting...anyways..."

"Well, if it's not about your name, then what is it?"

"Err..."

"Yeeeees?"

"...Where do I sleep?"

Jordan merely chuckled and pointed down to the bunk below his. "There, if you want. Troy used to sleep in it, but he got tired of sharing rooms, so he took the guest bedroom. So...this bunk is open, even if it's not long enough, I'm sure you'll find a way to adjust..."

Wilt crouched down onto the level of the bunk and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Well, either this bunk, or there's the sofa in the Living Room."

Wilt immediately decided to take the bunk, for at least it was longer than the sofa. But before he could snuggle into the bunk himself, he made sure to tuck Jordan in (although unsure why he did it, maybe it just felt fitting) and to switch off the light quietly. He had made sure to know where the bunks were before he did that, so he wouldn't be walking in a room of pure darkness. Once felt the bed and getting onto it, he took his shoes off, but kept the socks on, placing them onto the floor next to the bunks, and then snuggled under the covers, resting his head onto the pillow.

He shut his eyes, a large grin bloomed on his face.

It didn't take too long for Charlotte to slowly and quietly enter the room, wound in a white bedtime robe, making not a noise as she approached the bunk beds. She quickly noticed that Jordan was already tucked in (which to think is a skill all mothers would know), but Wilt...obviously was not.

The covers seemed to only go up to his waist, and were a bit wrinkled; whereas his arms and legs seemed to sprawl (at least, as far as his bunk would allow his legs to) in different places. He was laying on his side, facing her; one arm was under the pillow, and his other was just laid straight out sideways without care. It was obviously noted that he was asleep, by the way he gently breathed in and out, his eyes comfortably shut, and never taking note of the position he was laying in.

She had to chuckle at the sight, observing it for a few more moments until she decided to tuck him in.

Charlotte began carefully and slowly pulling the covers higher until they were at Wilt's shoulders, where which Wilt didn't seem to do anything.

_Deep asleep,_ she thought as she finished that, then seeing Wilt's left leg twitch slightly. _And dreaming, too!_

She gently placed a hand on his shoulder, then stroking it with ease for a few minutes. Wilt's only response was continuing his dream, twitching every so often in various places. She had to chuckle again at Wilt, patting his shoulder, lowering herself onto one knee, leaning in to his "ear", whispering softly,

"Welcome home, Wilt," and then softly planting a good-night kiss on his cheek. Wilt, still deeply asleep, smiled and blushed a little.

She kept her grin on her face as she then silently left the room, heading to her bedroom to sleep.

But from inside their bedroom, Wilt mumbled something in his sleep.

"Thank you, Charlotte..."


	6. Widowed

It had been a few weeks since Wilt was created, but fortunately, those weeks didn't go by that fast.

The second day consisted of waking up early for Church, which in Jordan's eyes, was a waste of time; after that, they - I mean, Wilt and Jordan - got Wilt better aquainted with Charleston by showing him the various places around town and personal favorites...Like under that big oak tree, the pier, and other places. Halfway through the unofficial grand Charleston tour, Stats and Dandy tagged a long.

After the tour, Jordan, Wilt, Stats, and Dandy all went home, as it was getting dark again...

On the third night, Charlotte had caught Wilt drinking a glass of water at around 2 AM. He had thought of it being normal and besides, he was thirsty...until she saw him. He felt exposed, caught of what he thought was of wrongdoing and apologised for about three straight minutes until she coaxed him that he wasn't guilty of anything, even having to have him bend down so she could hug him until he lost his guilt.

Wilt had almost felt his glass slipping from his hand as he felt her forgiving arms wrapping around him in a gentle hug...he quickly learned to like it and allowed her to...He even had to smile, he liked it that much. Or maybe she was so...gentle.

"It's alright..." she coaxed gently, her voice in a soft whisper... "You're not in trouble."

After that whole ordeal, just as Wilt all but vanished up the stairs to Jordan's (and his too, he assumed) bedroom, in need of more sleep, she whispered to him one last time for the night, something he'll remember forever more, something he'll never forget...

"Wilt...We love you, no matter what."

--

"Okay we're going to the court 'kay bye!!" Jordan called after his mother as he and Wilt started racing out of the front door, speaking at the speed of Dandy.

"Just one minute, Jordan!" Charlotte called after him, almost dragging them back into the house.

"Aww, Maaaaaa..." Jordan whined, clearly wanting to get out of there ASAP. But sadly it wasn't working as well as he thought.

"Did you make your bed, Jordan?"

"...Yeeeees."

"Did WILT make his bed?"

That halted Jordan's original annoyed mood completely, actually having no clue whatsoever if Wilt did or not. "Uuh..."

"Thought so. You may go, Jordan, but Wilt can't until he does. Understand, sweetie?"

Jordan sighed. "Yeeeees..."

Wilt, on the other hand, looked a tad guilty about this. "I'm sorry, Jordan...I guess I could just meet you there, or somethin'...Is that okay?"

Charlotte smiled a little as Wilt said this, turning her head to face him. "Of course. As soon as your bed is made, you may join Jordan to do whatever Jordans and Wilts do in their spare time!" Then she had to chuckle a little at her own joke.

"Well...fine...but you better hurry, slow poke!" Jordan admitted at last and scurried off. Charlotte slowly took Wilt by the wrist and took him upstairs and into Jordan's (and Wilt's) bedroom, gently pointed to Wilt's bunk, and simply stated, "Make it, please."

Wilt simply nodded and got inside, setting himself at work.

As Charlotte watched him, leaning against the doorway, she recalled something he had said earlier...

_Somethin'._

_Somethin'._

_Somethin'._

Just...the way he said it...it sounded like...like...

_"Joseph...? Is that really you...? Are you...back?" Charlotte asked these questions as she looked around at where she was now...in a strange yet peaceful field, the wind blowing gently, making her dress and medium length hair move with it...Looking down at herself, she saw she was...younger, and wearing that wedding dress...She took a few steps forward and heard the familiar wedding bells ringing, the outside garden coming into view, with rows and rows of seats with people sitting in them...she went closer and saw the Priest, and the Groom...JOSEPH..._

_Immedately she ran up to him, embracing him into a rib-crushing hug, looking into his shiny eyes, his handsome face, his humble build..._

_"Oh my dear Joseph...Where've you been all this time...?" she begged him, holding him closer, burying her face into the crook of his neck, "Things have been so hard since you left us...is it really true? Are you back...?"_

_Joseph simply looked down at her, hugging her back and gently stroking her wavy hair..."I've always been with you, Charlotte, my love...but not where you thought I was...I'm sorry if you guys miss me that much..."_

_"No, dear Joseph! Don't apologise!" Charlotte said to him, looking up at Joseph again, "It isn't your fault you left us...this was the Lord's doing...Somehow...he needed you...Will you be coming back soon?"_

_"I'm sorry, Charlotte, darling...I cannot...in fact, we are slipping away now...!"_

_"Then hold me, Joseph! Hold me and give me one last kiss..."_

_"As you wish, my darling..."_

_As soon as their lips connect, Charlotte is interupted by something...it sounded like a voice...calling out to her..._

"Charlotte...? Are you there?"

_"Joseph..."_

_"I love you, Charlotte...may we meet again..."_

"Chaaaaarllllloooootte...are you theeeeereee?"

Charlotte then felt herself snapping back to reality, twisting and turning her head in various places, then realized where she was again..."Wha...? Come again?"

"I was saying I was finished making my bed," Wilt replied to her calmly. "Are you alright?"

"Uh...? Oh yeah, I'm fine..." she told him, her voice a little shaky. She looked at Wilt's bunk again, now noticing that it was no longer as near messy as it was when he first started on it. "You can go now, if you still want to..."

"Oh, of course I have to go! Can't let ol' Jordan down, can I?" Wilt chuckled a little, giving her a friendly grin. "Poor guy probably misses me already..."

"Yeah..." She agreed, slowly forming a smile of her own, "So...I'll see you and Jordan later?"

"Before dark, or 7 o'clock, of course!" He grinned larger, gently hugging her good-bye, "But I kinda forgot when 7 o'clock was..."

Charlotte giggled a little, remembering the days where Troy, and then Jordan, couldn't tell time either, and, with great practice, held up her hands, positioning them to appear as the hands on a clock, in the positions to 7 o'clock.

"Ahh...now I remember," Wilt said to her, releasing the hug, "Thanks for reminding me!" With that he got out of the room, went down the stairs, and slowly went out the door. Charlotte followed him to the door and called, "You're welcome!"

Wilt paused as he heard her voice again, smiled, and with a wave started to run down the street, waving to her.

"And call me "Ma"!" she called at last, hoping he'd hear it.

As Wilt disappeared from view, she kept staring out at the direction he went...

_Joseph..._


	7. Allstar

"Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, everything that's wonderful is what I feel when we're together!" Dandy sang (or at least, tried) and she and Stats were walking down the street, on their way to see Jordan at the basketball court. "Brighter than a lucky penny, when you hear the raindrops disappears dear and that feels so fiiiiiine! Just to know that you are miiiiine!"

"My life is sunshine, lollipops and rainbows, that's how this refrain goes!" Stats joined in. "So come on join in. Everybody!"

"Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows everything that's wonderful is sure to come your waaaaaayy! 'Cause you're in love...you're in love...and love is here to STAAAAYY!!"

"YEAH!!" Dandy cheered at the very end.

"Ever since we heard that song on the radio, it's just got stuck in our heads..." Stats implied.

"I know! But it's a really really good sooooong! Leslie Gore rules!"

"...Wanna sing it again?"

"HECK YEAH!"

"Sunshine, lollipops and rain-GAHH!!"

They were interupted by Wilt nearly crashing into them from going so fast, as he nearly tripped and lost his balance. Still speeding off into the distance, he yelled "Sorry!"

"Hey! It's Wilt!" Dandy remarked happily. "Hiiiiii Wiiiiiilt!"

But by this time Wilt could no longer hear them.

"I wonder why he's in such a hurry," Stats questioned.

"Let's finds out! Tally hooo!!" After saying that Dandy took Stat's hand and she too, sped off in the direction Wilt was going.

"Dandy! Slow down!!"

* * *

"Sorry I took so long! I'm here now!" Wilt called as he neared the basketball courts at last, panting a little...As he neared the fence, he took hold of the chainlinks and looked into the courts...Somehow it seemed familiar, but he could not recall. Grinning, he raced into the courts, seeing Jordan nearby. Dandy and Stats nearly ran into him on the way into the courts, and they too, were panting a little, a bit more than Wilt had. As soon as Wilt was out of their way, they abruptly fell onto the concrete, only on their hands and knees.

"Oh my gosh you're a fast runner," Stats choked out to Dandy, "You should go out for Track..."

"But I wanna...play BADMITTIN..." Dandy replied in the same fashion.

Jordan came up to them all, looking beyond confused at them all. "What the heck was going on?"

Within a minute Dandy was breathing normally again, and sat up properly. "It kinda goes like this. Stats and I heard this REALY REALLY great song, by someone named Leslie Gore or somethin' like that, and we were just walking down the street, singing it, and before we could do it again, Wilt kinda ran us over and kept running and stuff yelling "Sorry!" as he ran. We were curious of why he was in a hurry, so we sped off after him full of wonder and stuff, but we kinda ran into him again, bcause he was going REALLYREALLY fast so we had to go REALLYREALLY fast too but BOOM we fell!"

"Well, I was kinda hurrying to get to you, y'know, because of Char - I mean, MA - needing me to make my bed and stuff...so when I finished I thought it'd be best to hurry over here...I kinda got into a little...accident on the way...so I guess they wanted to know why I was in a hurry...Sorry Dandy. Sorry Stats..." Wilt said, turning to face Jordan, and then to Dandy and Stats.

"Naah, it's okay!" Dandy replied, waving the apology off.

"Don't worry about it," Stats agreed. "It's nice to see you again!"

"Yeah...I guess so..." Wilt said, smiling again. He faced Jordan again and asked, "So...what're we doing today?"

"Today's the day where I'll find out if it worked!"

"...If what worked, if that's okay to ask..."

"Well, didn't I tell you I created you to help me become a better basketball player?"

Wilt put his finger gently onto his chin, looking down in thought, trying to remember...

_Flashback_

_"I'm sorry, but you can't just sleep all day! Gosh, you're gonna sleep right through Breakfast at this rate!"_

_"But I don't waaaannnnaaaa..." Jordan rebutted with a whine. "You have no idea how late I stayed up to draw a picture of my imaginary partner..."_

_"Imaginary partner? Who? And if I may ask, what for?"_

_"I...I donno! I don't think I got a chance to name him!" Jordan answered, a bit more clearer this time. "And he's going to help me be a better basketball player!"_

_"What does he look like?"_

_Jordan groaned again to himself, sitting up with blurry, baggy eyes. "He's on the picture..."_

_As Jordan cleared his eyes, whoever it was who was in his room with him seemed to pick something up._

_"Well, I must say he's got a good smile!"_

_"Why do you say that?" Jordan replied, finally trying to see what was going on._

_"His teeth are nice and white!" the person replied. "Plus, there's a TINY simmilarity between me and him."_

_"...And?"_

_"We're both the same color!"_

_"W-what?"_

_End of flashback_

"Oh yeeeeeeaaahh...I remember it now," he said at last, grinning again and then frowning and opening his mouth in shock. "Today's the DAY??"

"Yeah!" Jordan replied. "After today, I'll KNOW if I created you right!"

"Okay! I'll do what I can!" Wilt promised, doing that army salute again. Soon he realized something and faltered a little. "What if I'm no good at it?"

"Don't worry about it," Jordan shrugged with a reassuring smile, "If you're as bad at it as I am, I'll still keep you."

Wilt sighed with relief over that, silently praying a thank-you to the Lord above. "Like I said, I'll do my best!"

* * *

"Woot! Woot!" Dandy and Stats yelled, cheering Wilt on as he wa preparing for his first shot. "Go Wilt! Go Wilt!"

"It is a suspenceful scene here today, folks!" Stats started, narrating. "Wouldn't you agree, Miss Dandy Smandy?"

"I couldn't agree more, Mr. Statistics," Dandy replied, also narrating. "Looks like our buddy Wilt is preparing himself for his first shot."

"Oooh! Wilt Michaels, created by Jordan Michaels, is up to shot! We must watch in silence to see him, to reveal his supposed skillz, and to-"

"SEE WHAT HE'S MADE OF, DANG NABBIT!!" Dandy interupted.

"Yeah, well...let us watch in silence..."

"Okay..."

"..."

All was silent as Wilt finally tossed the ball in the air, almost nervous of the outcome...Upward and forward the ball went, soaring through the air like a bird...Then it went right into the hoop, not even touching the rim on it's way in.

They could only gape in shock...

Wilt recovered first, grabbing the ball again, throwing it once more...Swish, sounded the hoop as the ball passed into the net, not touching the rim again...

Wilt did it a third time, then a fourth...then a fifth...sixth...seventh...eighth...ninth...and finally...tenth.

Swish...swish...swish...swish...swish...swish...swish...swish.

All times, without missing, without the ball even touching the rim.

They were all speechless as they watched Wilt casually pick up the ball again, this time spinning it on his left index finger. Then rolling it on his shoulders, onto his right arm, rolling, rolling...until it reached is right index finger, then it just sat there on the tip, spinning expertly, full of balance. Wilt couldn't imagine WHY he could do all this so...easily...while Jordan had been struggling to even dribble the ball correctly. Wilt could even look away from the ball and stare at his friends' espressions, and couldn't help but chuckle a little.

Dandy and Stats were just shocked and in awe at all the talent that had been exposed from Wilt's movements.

Jordan, however, was just too excited and happy and relieved to even SAY anything.


	8. Bonding

_Thanks for the bonding idea, RubyWilt!_

----

Wilt couldn't be happier.

By the fact with Jordan under his wing (Er, you get the meaning), Jordan's Basketball skills have dramatically increased over the span of a week. But still, not so much that you'd assume it was by magic, but enough where he could last for more than five minutes. Still a bit more training would suffice, and Jordan was willing to go and give it his all to make his dream come true at long last. But if he was going to start anywhere, he have to be able to beat his own sibling. What a goal that was going to be. No longer would Jordan be the one who gets his face rubbed in by Troy. No longer would Jordan be looked down upon by HIM. It was going to be JORDAN to do the face... rubbing in... thingy.... you get the point.

But still, Wilt couldn't be happier.

In such a short time he had made great friends, with Dandy and Stats, Char- Ma, (Hey, who says you can't be friends with your family?) Troy...not so much, not because he still thinks of him as an alien, but darn it, that kid can't get that through his thick- nevermind. But out of all of them, Wilt's favorite and most dear, precious, and best friend he was so blessed to have was Jordan himself. For many reasons, of course; he was created and brought to life by him, he was the first person Wilt saw once he could see, he was so very much open-minded (It's gotta be if Wilt was still allowed to stay if he wasn't skilled at Basketball, but he is, but whatever), and they just....seem to click. They just somehow KNEW a lot about each other after a simularity started. Almost like...almost like....

...As if Wilt knew him from before somehow...but he just can't recall.

Despite this, Wilt couldn't be happier.

Life couldn't be more perfect - he had friends, he had a family, and the best creator he could ask for. Sure, there might've been a few inconvienences when he first started life, from the "Alien Attack" fiasco, the "Super Cat" incident....

---

"Why, good morning, Toppy!" Wilt said to the resident house cat, gently ruffling the fur on the top of her head....without her permission. She simply stared at him for a few seconds, and then her ears started to turn around, looking backwards, while her tail began to flick.

"Uh oh, Wilt! She's getting mad!" Jordan called, a few steps away from him.

"Aww...am I? I just wanted to say hello!" Wilt replied, continuing to pet Toppy, this time from her head to the very tip of her tail. At this she only got more and more irritated by Wilt. How DARE he just get into her business and screwing up her precious fur! For the love of God, she had JUST got it clean and straightened out! He had better stop RIGHT NOW, or he'll regret it, as her patience was wearing thin in such a short amount of time.

"Isn't that right, Toppy? Huuuuuh? I just wanted to say helllllloooooo! Is that okaaaaayyy?" Wilt cooed at her in a ridiculously high-pitched voice, continuing to pet her and eventually trying to scratch gently on her chin. By now, her tail was now full-out lashing around, her ears turned back all the way, both because he was still petting and RUINING her fresh, clean, AND straight fur, and the fact the way he was talking to her. If she could speak human, she'd seriously call Wilt a dumbass.

That's why it CERTAINLY was NOT OKAY. Especially when she unleashed her fury upon the imaginary creature, giving him bites and clawmarks and scratches galore.

As Toppy jumped angerly onto his face Wilt cried out in surprise and found himself tearing through the house as she unleashed her wrath on the "unworthy one". Scratch scratch, bite bite, claw claw claw, then repeated over and over again. Wilt couldn't stop screaming in agony as one wound after another appeared on his skin. Yells of "GETHEROFFGETHEROFFGETHEROFF!" and "I'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRYI'MSORRY!" filled and nearly shook the house clear off it's foundations.

_Oh, just SHUT UP,YOU'RE the one who caused this!_ Toppy thought as she continued to attack him, her yellow eyes aflame, _If you had stopped it with the damned baby talk then you wouldn't be getting this! You unworthy, low-down sick smelly son-of-a-_

"Toppy, stop!" Wilt cried out again, censoring Toppy's thoughts a tiny bit. "Please! I'm sorry! I'll leave you alone! I promise!"

After a while of this, Toppy finally decided to call it quits and that he had enough punishment, and slowly lept off of him. As soon as that happened, Wilt felt even more searing pain as he fell smack onto the floor, face-first."Thank you, Toppy...Thank you...." was all he could utter.

She only paused to to look at him for a few seconds, then, walked away, nose in the air. _You, sir, discust me! _

---

Wilt could still remember all the bandages Charlotte had to put on him after that. There was so many Dandy and Stats teased he looked just like a mummy. It felt utterly embaressing, to say the least - but now he knew how embarressment felt, plus never to mess with Toppy. From then on Wilt honestly stayed out of her way. Eventually, though, THIS occured...

---

"No, Toppy, no!" Charlotte cried out. "Not in the dryer! Not in the-UGHH. _Toppy_..."

Laundry Day was usual as Charlotte tended to the dirty and the now-clean articles of clothing, towels, washrags, bedsheets, and possibly blankets. But the one obstical in her way remained as little miss Made-Of-Awesome herself...

"Toppy! Out, out, out!" Charlotte yelled again, ushering the cat out. Once she was out, she just jumped in again, making herself comfortable on the clean towels. "Ugh....Not _again..._"

Now, don't get Charlotte wrong, she understood why Toppy would love it in there so much, but the ginger tabby she-cat didn't need to be in there...If only they could've installed a door...

As Charlotte struggled to keep the she-cat out of the dryer, Wilt happened to pass by. To Charlotte, it was as if the answer to her delima had just arrived, but was a bit reluctant to ask him to keep Toppy busy while she did the laundry, as Toppy clearly made an immediate dislike to the tall creature. But if Wilt wasn't going to, who _will_?

She sighed heavily...she had to take a chance.

"Hey, Wilt?" she called, "Can ya come over here for a sec? I kinda have a favor to ask ya..."

"Sure, anything for you!" he simply replied with a smile.

"Well, it's Laundry Day and little miss Comfy-kins is kinda fussy on this day because..."

"....Because...?"

She simply pointed inside the dryer. Wilt looked inside to see Toppy purring happily, rolling around on the warm, CLEAN towels.

"Um...." was all he could say. Although, he did find it sort of cute... "I'm sorry, but....I don't really see anything wrong..."

"Well, a dryer can be death for a kitty," she sighed, "Yet Toppy apparently doesn't know that."

"Oh...." was his one response.

With that Charlotte picked Toppy up and pulled her out of the dryer. "What I'm asking is...can you keep her occupied until I finish with everything? That way, she won't 'help' me finish and I'll get done sooner..."

"Well...uh..."

"Please, Wilt?" she begged. "I know Toppy doesn't really...but who else would do it? Jordan? He's far too into training in Basketball to do much else, and Troy? He's too busy picking on Jordan to do much else either..."

Wilt took a deep breath and then answered her calmly, "Okay...I'll do it...but how am I supposed to...?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something," she replied, gingerly forcing Toppy into Wilt's hold, "I certainly don't really have much of a clue...try playing with her or something! Just keep her occupied!"

---

"Sorry, Toppy," Wilt sighed, noticing Toppy's death glare directed at him, "But for now you're stuck with me."

_Just great,_ Toppy thought. _I was just enjoying myself on those comfy towels!_

"...But I guess it's high time for us to start getting along," he continued, "After all, we're all family, and I think we should be acting like one."

_You can't tell ME what to do,_ she thought once more, _I'll start liking you when I'm dead!_

It had already been fifteen minutes since Wilt started that favor. He thought maybe he needed to be with Jordan...but then thought immediately that he can't let Ch- Ma down, and plus, if he isn't clawed and bitten to death by Toppy, it could mean a new friend.

The strangest thing, though...Toppy was still in his grasp, and she hasn't started fidgeting around yet, despite not being much of a cuddler. She just sat there, glaring at him, but not moving an inch. Maybe she didn't mind him holding her on the inside, or she knew that it was a long way down by jumping off (she almost lost her balance last time). Or maybe both...

Wilt thought for a moment, unsure where to go...then he finally decided on Jordan's room. _Hope he doesn't mind,_ he thought.

As he started to climb the steps, he hoped Toppy wouldn't jump out of his arms and run straight to the Laundry Room. Once he got to the door, he used a hand to hold Toppy, and the other to turn the knob on the door to open it. Once inside, he shut it behind him, and gently set Toppy onto the floor, who then immediately beat Wilt to the bottom bunk and ploped herself right where Wilt was gonna sit. He sighed again, this time smiling a little and just sat next to her, moving her tail a little so he wouldn't end up sitting on that.

"Um...." Wilt started, puzzling over what to say. Meanwhile, Toppy already went fast asleep and went into "Ignore Mode", all curled up in a ball. He watched this for a moment, before starting to gently pet her, from head to down her spine. Her eyes opened only a little to see what was going on, before closing them again, going to sleep. Wilt wasn't sure, but he thought he heard purring. Smiling at her, he restrained an "Awww" as he looked at one of his shoes, to see that one of them was untied.

Slowly he brought the leg in question up onto his other leg, and, using the way Jordan taught him, he started to tie it back together again. But at mid-tying, he got an idea...

---

"No no no! Over here, Toppy! Come get it!" Wilt giggled as he continuously waved and moved his shoelace around, with Toppy chasing it and trying to keep it still in her paws. Her tail was moving back and forth playfully, as she started to reach for the shoelace when Wilt held the tip up in the air.

_Come on, GIVE IT!_ she thought. _This isn't funny! Give it! It's MINE! All mine!_

Wilt, however, was just having so much fun doing this, laughing all over himself as he continued this. It only fueled Toppy's goal of finally grabbing the shoelace and keeping it for herself.

_Almost...! Ugh! No! Come on! Give it to me! Let me have it! Come on! Gimme-Gah! Missed again!_

"You're gonna have to be faster if you want it, Toppy!" Wilt chuckled.

After a while of this, there was a knock on the door, with Charlotte calling something out, but Wilt didn't hear it the first time, but he stopped what he was doing to listen.

"I'm finished with the laundry!"

"Okay!" Wilt called back, slowly opening the door to let Toppy out, "Well, I guess you can go now, Toppy..."

But the strangest thing occured as she pawed out of the room.

As she left, she rubbed against Wilt's legs with a small purr.


End file.
